


Heroes of Flowers Phase Two: Tempest of Hearts

by TheSparklyKitten



Series: Heroes of Flowers [3]
Category: Big Hero 6 (2014), Big Hero 6: The Series (Cartoon)
Genre: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HOLY MOLY, Action, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adventure, Angst, Angst Glorious Angst, Canon Divergence, Everything will be okay eventually, Family Feels, Fluff, Found Family, High School Silliness, Lots of Angst, Monsters, Mystery, Other, Platonic Love, Textfic shennanigans, Unrequited Love, Welcome to Phase 2, also angst, eventual hurt/comfort, holy heck these poor kids go through a lot, mild body horror cuz of said monsters, teen dork friendship, this is just one bumpy part of the rollarcoaster of life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-18 15:55:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29736279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSparklyKitten/pseuds/TheSparklyKitten
Summary: As Phase 2 of our story starts, our heroes are wracked from a Tempest of HeartsAfter a harrowing first semester, Hiro hopes things will be back to semi-normal as he navigates being a superhero, supporting his sister’s high school career, and maintaining his internship friendship with Karmi. But there is a new darkness in San Fransokyo, and it leaves behind the deepest of scars, both on the outside, and especially on the inside.
Relationships: Barb & Juniper (Big Hero 6), Hiro Hamada & Karmi, Honey Lemon/Go Go Tomago, Juniper (Big Hero 6) & Original Female Character(s), Megan Cruz & Hiro Hamada, Momakase (Marvel) & Original Character(s), Wasabi-No Ginger/Chris (Big Hero 6)
Series: Heroes of Flowers [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1555597
Comments: 3
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue: Phase 2

_7 months ago..._

Rich people parties.

To an officer of the law, Elio thought these events were rather unpleasant. Full of the snobbish upper class such as the Moles, and he'd rather spend a night in his stuffy office than at a stuffy party.

But thanks to being head of the "noble-blooded" Rosemary family, he had to present the family name such as attending parties. Least when he had to attend events as a kid his parents made such events more tolerable.

"Ellie?" He paused as he felt his beloved Sarah gently hold his hand. "I'm here for you."

"Thank you." He gripped her hand. "Being with you after all that's happened, it makes things heavenly."  
She smiled, pressing a kiss to his lips. "You always were a poet."  
"We noticed." Both adults looked down as their youngest daughter rolled her eyes. "Save the lovey dovey stuff until _after_ I go to sleep guys." Rachel told them.

Elio felt his cheeks flare red. "Rach!"  
"Oh my god their minds went to the gutter." Rachel's feline companion Katie snickered. "Elio's so red he's a tomato!"

"You two..." Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose as the blue laughed. "Rach, make sure Katie doesn't cause a ruckus this time."  
"On it!" She gave a thumbs up and stuffed the protesting feline into her hand purse. "We don't want Dad to get chewed out by Binky again."  
"She's the worst." Katie mumbled. "I feel so bad for her kids..."

"Shhh!"

Sarah flashed a smile. "Now since that's all sorted out." She gestured to Elio. "Shall we?"  
"We shall." They held hands as they walked into the party, which was a ball hosted by the Fredericksons for a charity event. Elio didn't remember the name of said charity event but he knew it was for animals, that had to count, right?

"Ooh, I see some of my friends decided to attend." Sarah's eyes lit up as she saw a few familiar faces.

"Have fun." Elio waved to her as she departed, and shortly after Rachel ran off. Leaving him to fill his plate at the buffet table.

"Well, if this isn't a surprise!" He turned to see a woman with golden-blonde hair and hazel eyes greeting him. "Detective Elio Rosemary himself, I have been such a fan of you since you moved to the city." He shook hands with the kind woman. "I'm Liv."  
"Liv as in Liv Amara? CEO of Sycorax?" He raised an eyebrow.  
"Guilty." She smirked.

Elio felt himself light up with excitement. "Wow! It's an honor to meet you." He grinned. "Your work at Sycorax is amazing! Your contributions to the medical world are an inspiration to us all!"  
Liv giggled. "Aren't you flattering?"

"My wife says I'm more of a poet." He told her. "Though I'm surprised to see you at an event like this."  
"Well I have to maintain my reputation." Liv explained. "I was actually chatting with Orso Knox when I decided to grab something off the buffet table, and I ran into you here."  
"Orso Knox?" Elio squinted at the crowd, until he found the socialite at one of the tables, Knox waved and he waved back. "Well I don't want to keep you busy further, have a good night Ms. Amara."  
"Thank you." Liv nodded. "You have a good night with your family."  
"Thanks!" He grinned, and waved as Liv walked back to her table.

* * *

The rest of the party was more bearable for Elio. He managed to find his daughter snacking on sweets herself and Rachel immediately lifted his spirits up by talking about some of the funny gossip she heard. "I ran into Frederick, from the Fredericksons." She told him.  
"Was he nice?" He raised an eyebrow.  
"Yeah, one of Binky's kids was hitting on me- it wasn't any of the older ones chill Dad! But he was being annoying and Frederick batted him away." She explained. "I ran into him later and I thanked him, he's cool."  
"Well glad you made a new friend." Though hearing about one of the Moles harassing his daughter made his blood boil. _I'll have to have a chat with Binky later…_ But for now he'd make sure Rachel was okay and keep her company in case the creep tried harassing her again.

After a few dances with his wife and other socialite friends the ball ended so they could all leave. It was a more tolerable party, but Elio just wanted to get out of his stuffy suit and crash into his bed as soon as he got home.

"So, I saw you were talking to Ms. Amara?" Sarah turned to him. "How was it?"  
"Oh." Elio didn't realize Sarah had noticed that. "She was pleasant."  
"Well at least there was someone nice you could talk to." She hummed. "I've heard a few things about her here and there, just curious."  
"Yeah." He smiled. "Maybe if I see her at another party we could chat some more."

"Sounds good to me." Sarah smiled. They had headed home and quickly tucked Rachel to sleep, she was all tuckered out and so was Katie. The feline was content in Rachel's arms, snuggling her as they slept. "Those two are gonna be the death of me." She murmured. "Being all cute."

"Agreed." And as Elio went to bed himself, he felt light as a feather.

However as he ran into Liv more and more at parties, he started to notice a change.

She'd pander to crowds more, trying to persuade investments into Sycorax, turning into a businesswoman more and more. He suspected the corporeal world got to her, since he could sense there was something stressing her out.

But when Rachel told him about the events of the Knox gala months later, and after telling her _not_ to throw hands at monsters in the future- _He appreciated her bravery but also there's a thing called caution that apparently skipped her!_

He thought Liv had reacted too perfectly in that situation.

Probably just his imagination, right? After-all, she probably just wanted what was best for the city, even if she acted weird about it.

* * *

_Present day..._

"Hiro I'm freaking out!" Ari exclaimed.

"I know! Calm down!"  
"I can't!"

They were in the garage. Fred and Baymax were watching the two siblings banter back and forth like ping-pong-balls.

"Ari it's a little too late to back out now." Hiro looked away from his computer. "Bridgeton's next semester starts tomorrow, it's a better high school than mine at the least."  
"What if it's like every high school drama though?" She yelped. "With mean girls, and bullies that make you want to curl into a ball and die, or what if someone starts selling drugs that are not drugs but actually _evil a.i pills trying to control our minds!?_ "

" _That is scientifically impossible._ "  
"I agree with Baymax." Fred waved a pen in the air. "Stop clicking those musical clips Sienna places in the chat."

"And what are you working on?" Ari gestured to his sketchbook.

"My narration for Phase 1!"

The two teens cocked their heads. "Phase… 1?"  
Fred gave them a knowing grin. "Ah you sweet naive children, allow me to narrate what has already happened!"  
 _Oh brother…_ Both of them rolled their eyes.

"San Fransokyo. Greatest city in the world. Once threatened by nefarious forces, now a beacon of peace, thanks to the fearless fortitude of Big Hero 6!" Fred dramatically narrated, as he stood upon high and showed the drawing of the team in superhero gear.

Ari was staring with wide eyes, and Hiro went back to his computer for work.

" _You are unstable._ " Baymax pointed out.

"What?"  
The robot pointed to his screen. " _Falling from a chair is a major cause of injuries._ " The screen played a gif of someone literally falling from a chair. " _Would you like a step-ladder?_ "  
Fred sat back down properly. "Oh, no, I'm good. I guess I just carried away with my excitement about today."

" _Wednesday?_ "

"The day before I enter public school and probably die of humiliation?" Ari raised a hand.  
"No. Although, Wednesdays are pretty underrated and Ari does have a right to be anxious even though she'll be fine-"  
"Thanks." She sighed, glancing over to Hiro who was mildly impressed with his computer work.  
"I mean that today is the start of Phase 2!"  
 _Not again with his phase talk…_ Both teens groaned.

Hiro frowned. "Uh… Phase 2?"  
"Ah, Hiro." Fred chuckled as the teen genius ran a test run on his computer. "Sometimes I forget how young you are."

"I'm fourteen and a half."  
"Wait what happened to Phase 1?" Ari questioned.

Fred gestured to his notebook. Where a little doodle of their former foe was crossed out. "Defeating Obake was the epic conclusion to Phase 1-"  
"Phase 1?" Hiro raised an eyebrow.

"Of the Big Heroverse! And now it's time for all new adventures. Thus, Phase 2." He explained.  
"Oh gosh." Ari groaned. "Can I get a break in Phase 2?"  
"Considering you're the main character alongside Hiro..." Fred pointed out. "Probably not."  
She groaned and buried her face into Baymax's vinyl chest. The robot patted her head. " _There there._ "

"Don't worry sis, nothing will happen." Hiro reassured her. "It can't be considered Phase 2 if nothing happens after all."  
Fred chuckled in response to that. "So young, so innocent." He went back to his sketchbook. "Something always happens, Hiro. Only in Phase 2 it's way bigger. Who knows what darkness lurks out there in the vast unknown?"  
"I don't want to know and don't make me think about it!" Ari covered her ears.

" _Your stress level is rising._ " Baymax scanned her. " _Physical contact is known to decrease stress levels, would you like a hug?_ "  
"Always!" She melted with relief as the robot gave her one of his signature marshmallow hugs.  
"Wow." Hiro hummed as he stared at his screen. "The magnet test has great results."

Ari popped up from her hug. "Oh you mean that new gadget when you go superheroing about?"  
"It's got enough power to pull in a plane."  
"You sound smug with yourself."  
" _A plane_ Ari. I created something that can outpower _a plane._ "

Fred bounced from his chair and to the computer. "Nice work Hiro!"  
"Yep." Hiro grinned. "Now I don't have to rely on intellect alone."  
"You could try modifying your super strength tool." Ari suggested. "So this time you don't damage school property."  
"...You just want to have super strength don't you?"  
"Did you see that spider guy in New York?" She dramatically punched the air. "Punch! Super strength!"

Fred chuckled and shook his head. "Oh Ari, your water powers count a super strength."  
"You got a point." She hummed. "I should practice, I'm no superhero but it doesn't help to defend yourself."  
Hiro flashed a thumbs up. "It's getting late though, you need a good night's rest for Bridgeton."  
Ari deflated. "Why did you have to remind me.."  
" _A good night's sleep will help you focus and do better work in a school environment._ " Baymax suddenly picked her up and carried her out of the garage. " _I will tuck you in._ "

"Baymaxxxx!" Ari whined.

* * *

As the robot carried her out of the garage, Hiro turned to Fred. "She only has to survive for the rest of the school year, and if it doesn't work we can send her back to online school."

"You sound hesitant." Fred noted. "You okay?"  
He sighed, walking to the chair and sitting down. "Rachel tells me the school her mom teaches is one of the best, I hope she's right. I want Ari to have a better high school experience than me."  
"Was it bad?" Fred questioned. "I didn't know the gang until SFIT, and Tadashi mostly complained about your bot-fighting addiction."  
"It wasn't a-" Hiro grumbled. "The school I went to did not practice what they preached in terms of preventing bullying. My teachers didn't care and alienated me, and the student body either ignored or harassed me. Tadashi and Sara were the only students who defended me."  
"Jeez." Fred gasped. "I'm sorry, I know how it feels to be prey in the school predator chain."  
"Who'd make fun of you?" Hiro frowned. "You're great!"  
Fred gave a small smile. "Thanks, but most people treated me differently because of my status. The boys would pick on me and insult me, and the girls would only try to get with me because I was rich. It sucked, even my fellow comic fan nerds isolated me!"  
Hiro placed a hand on his shoulder. "Guess that's why you never told anyone you were rich."  
"That, and I didn't want you guys to think I was a snobby rich kid like Mole." Fred explained. "I don't flaunt my wealth and laze around."

"You don't, otherwise you wouldn't be a member of Big Hero 6, SFIT's coolest mascot, or studying English online." Hiro chuckled. "Remember when I first entered the lab and I freaked out because you were in your costume?"  
Both boys laughed. "Yeah! You're not the only person who freaked out. I freaked out Wasabi too as he was eating, and he spilled wasabi on himself, thus his nickname!"  
"Ah." Hiro smirked. "So that's his name's origins."

Fred patted him on the shoulder. "It'll be different with Ari, okay?" He told him. "We'll make sure of that."  
"I should probably make sure she's asleep." Hiro began walking out of the garage. "See you tomorrow Fred!"  
"See ya!"

* * *

As Hiro walked to his room, he saw Ari already tucked into her bed. Baymax had already deactivated and a certain calico was curled next to her. "I see you're using Mochi as a cuddle buddy." He noted. "Not that I'm jealous or anything."  
"Mrow."

Ari snickered. "Sounds like jealousy to me, do you want to join in?"  
"I'm good." Hiro went to his bed and tucked himself in, he turned off the lights. "You're smart, you're friendly, and you already know some popular students. You have a better start in school than most people Ari."  
"If only I was smart enough to figure out the amnesia thing." She frowned. "Baymax says I could've had my memories back by now, only proving that someone did take them away."  
"Try not to think about it much." Hiro gripped his covers. "What's happened has already happened."  
"Yeah, but it's not what I'm worried about." Ari sighed. "It's you."

His eyes widened. "Why?"  
"What if another Obake shows up, and kidnaps you."  
 _Oh..._ "Did I mention the magnets a while ago? Sides he's gone, his base is destroyed. All his henchmen are either reformed or in jail."

"Mikan will be ticked if she hears you calling her a henchmen." Ari snickered. "And I'm pretty sure that's a sexist term."  
"It was either that or sidekick."  
"That's a title only Mini-Max can have." She hummed. "Am I your sidekick?"  
Hiro rolled his eyes. "No that's Baymax, you're the annoying little sister!"  
"Hey!" They both burst into giggles.  
"Goodnight bro."  
"G'night sis."  
And both teens relaxed as the sandman sent them into the land of dreams.

_Meanwhile..._

On the outskirts of San Fransokyo, by the shores of Torii Gate Bridge…

A creature with red eyes and a body of kelp emerged from the water, it took two steps on land. A crate it was carrying was dragged on shore. And as it stopped moving, a pale hand whirred as it lifted the kelp from its eyes.

And it let out a soulless chuckle.

" _Hee-hee. Hee-hee. Hee-hee._ "


	2. Chapter 1: Bridgeton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ari's first day at school!

_I think this is the first Monday where I'm not waking up to help Aunt Cass start the day._ Ari thought as her alarm clock rang. She had gotten up at the Lucky Cat's usual time, but instead of helping her aunt with the morning rush she'd be off to her first day at public school.

She had gotten a big plate of pancakes and turkey bacon when she got downstairs. "First day of school, how excited are you?" Cass asked her.

Ari couldn't talk back since her mouth was full of food, but she gave a thumbs up. "Glad to hear, if you need anything at class, remember I'm a phone call away." Her aunt ruffled her hair and walked to serve another customer.

"Hey guys." Ari turned to the others, who were busy digging into their own food. "What were your first days like?"  
"First day of...?" Hiro raised an eyebrow.  
"SFIT."

"Oh, it was a blast!" Honey Lemon exclaimed.  
"It was alright." Gogo hummed.  
"I was an anxious wreck." Wasabi rubbed his sleeve.

"I thought it was cool." Fred chipped in.

Ari snickered. "Fred, you're not a student."  
"Oh, right."  
"My first day was a bag of mixed emotions." Hiro shrugged. "But at least I had my friends, and you do too."  
"Thanks." She hummed. "You have fun at school today."  
"You too." He flashed her a thumbs up.

* * *

At least Rachel was walking with her or else she'd be freaking out the entire way there.

"I can hear you sweating from here." Rachel hummed. "Chill."  
Ari rolled her eyes. "Can I ask you something, Rach?"  
"Ye."  
She grumbled. "Please don't tell the other kids about my… amnesia. That goes for you too Katie, I know you're in Rachel's backpack."  
Said feline popped her head out from behind a flap. "Rats! How'd you know I was there?"  
"I cat-sitted you for Rachel's New York trip, I know your tricks."  
"Clever girl." Katie pouted. "We won't snitch."  
"Dare I ask why?" Rachel raised an eyebrow.  
"They're gonna pester me about it and it's none of their business." Ari huffed. "It's bad enough I still have amnesia, arrrg!"  
"What's the latest thing you remember?"  
She flashed a deadpan stare. "Not you too."  
Rachel snickered. "I'm curious. And when I mean latest I mean freshest memory before your amnesia."  
"Suffering."

The scruffy brunette raised an eyebrow. "That's all?"  
"I won't bother you with details." Ari shuddered as the dark memories of gunshots flashed in her head.  
Thankfully, Rachel dropped the subject. "How was your New York trip?"

"Awesome." Ari had literal stars in her eyes. "I have cousins now, and I got to see Spiderman in action!"  
"Just Spiderman?"  
"Yeah." She nodded. "Hiro's favorite is the spider-mech… thingy."  
"Mhmm." Rachel hummed with amusement. "Did you know that on my trip I got to see not _only_ Spiderman, but Iron Man too?"  
"...You suck."  
"Love you too Ari."  
Katie started giggling from her place inside the backpack.

* * *

Ferns and Nerds group chat:

_Mikan Ferns added David Ferns to the group chat_

Mikan Ferns: David FINALLY got a new phone

Honey Lemon: wb David!

Fredzilla: yayyyyy!

Sienna Kline: 3

David Ferns: I've returned

Sara Ferns: It's been 3000 years.

Hiro Hamada: DEAD MEME SARA

Sara Ferns: NEVER

David Ferns: Guys please don't.

TheLittleMermaid: Also I'm at Bridgeton and oh my god

Hiro Hamada: DO I NEED TO CALL AUNT CASS ARE YOU OKAY?!

Gogo: Oh no

TheLittleMermaid: I'm fine!

TheLittleMermaid: They keep talking about Big Hero 6. The student body are superhero nerds I can't

Fredzilla: Omg!

Wasabi: What are they saying about them?

Rachel Rosemary: Jimmy Newton is a fan of the lizard, Chad Porter is a speedy fan, Ambrose Williams has a crush on the green one, Barry Beckenbaur likes the red one the most, Claira Ryder's favorite is pink and Cindy Verona's a Captain Cutie fangirl

David Ferns: We have no idea who these people are

TheLittleMermaid: Same

* * *

Hiro looked up from his phone at the mention of _another_ person who had a crush on his superhero persona. _Whyyyyyy._ He groaned.

* * *

"Settle down, settle down students!" Ari put her phone away as her first class began. It was math, taught none other than Sarah Rosemary. Rachel was sitting next to her, and flashed her a thumbs up.

She ignored the blue still hiding in the backpack sticking her tongue out.  
Sarah started the class. "Now, I hope you all had a very relaxing break, but first, we have two new students joining us today."  
 _Wait._ "What?" Ari whispered. "Two?" She turned to Rachel, who shrugged. Both of them did not expect that twist.

"Most teachers introduce new students in order of first names, but I thought it would be nice to go in order of last names." Sarah explained. "So, Ms. Cruz, would you like to introduce yourself to the class?"  
A girl around their age stood up, she had dark-tanned skin, her brown hair was in bangs and a ponytail, she had light brown eyes with a golden glint to them. She was wearing a green-striped shirt, a black hoodie with green cuffs, blue capris, navy sneakers, and there was a green clip in her bangs.

"Hi, I'm Megan Cruz." She nervously waved, Ari could feel her pain, she'd have to introduce herself soon. "I really love photography, and I really want to be a journalist when I grow up. I'm very good at finding stories."  
One of the boys, _Ambrose._ Ari remembered, raised his hand. "So does that mean you're into a lot of gossip or something, when you say you're a journalist?"

A few kids tried not to snicker. "No, I'm not that kind of journalist." Megan narrowed her eyes. "I'm one that wants to get the truth to the people."

"So like Rachel?" Ari blurted out, then covered her mouth in embarrassment. _Why did I say that out loud?!_

"Wow." Rachel snickered. "Glad you think I'm so honest."

"Uh." Oh great now the new girl was giving her weird looks. "I'm flattered?"

The whole class burst into laughter as Ari sunk slowly into her seat.

"Settle down class!" Sarah silenced them. "Thank you for introducing yourself Ms. Cruz." She then turned her attention to the still flustered Ari. "Now, would you like to introduce yourself Ms. Rosemary?"

Ari was about to speak but another student cut her off. "Wait, Rosemary?" It was the sophomore girl named Cindy. "Is she your cousin?"  
Several students started chattering until Rachel groaned loudly and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You guys gossip more than the news." She facepalmed. "We have three people with the last name Smith in this class and _none_ of them are related, just because Ari has the same last name as me doesn't mean we're related. Capiche?!"

The irritation in her green eyes shut the rest of the class up. "Sorry." They all gave meek apologies.

"It's fine." Ari waved it off, she noticed there was a tense frustration in her friend's eyes, so she didn't want to add to that. "Um, I'm Ariel Rosemary, not related to Rachel as she said, I'm adopted." She nervously chuckled. "I'm also a Big Hero 6 fan, I like helping my aunt in the cafe, and I really hate eels, they're gross."

"Well now that that's settled." Sarah turned to the board. "We will begin today's assignment, grab a tablet everyone, I will be calling each row to grab a tablet-"

* * *

Ari didn't get a chance to talk to her fellow new girl until lunch.

Which was at the end of the day. Bridgeton's cafeteria was rather large, it had a cafe, a fountain and an outdoor section where students could chill in the school garden.  
"Hey, it's Ariel!" She was about to try and find a spot to sight when a familiar brown-haired boy with hazel eyes dragged her over to a seat by the cafe.  
"Hank!" Ari greeted him. "Your school is awesome!"

"Thanks." The soccer boy grinned. "Janice sadly, is sick today, but Chad will fill her in. How have you been since Halloween?"  
"Peachy." She yawned, then stopped when seeing who was also by the table. "Uh, hi."

"Hey." Megan waved. "So, you're new too?"  
"New to this school, yeah." Ari clapped her hands. "I've been in online school for the past few months."  
"Oh, I just moved here last week." Megan explained. "After the whole thing with..." She trailed off. "The star."  
"Yeah." Ari winced. "That was scary."

"I just hid in my parent's room and cried." Hank spoke up.  
"Same but in my garage."  
They both high-fived.

"Well, well, well." Rachel strolled up to the table. "I see the new girls are getting along."  
"Oh shut up." Ari grumbled. "And where were you?"  
"Trying to get Katie to not dig up the tulips in the courtyard again."  
"What?"  
"What."  
Rachel just huffed and took a seat next to Megan. "Nice to meet you."

"Thanks." They both shook hands. "A few students mentioned you here and there, you must be one of the popular girls."  
She just snickered. "Only because popularity is judged in niceness."

"Wait, you're popular?" Hank teased, and got a jab to the shoulder.  
"Oh hush."

"Can I ask how come you and your parents moved here?" Ari asked.

"Well my dad got a new job here." She answered, but Megan glanced away. "And uh, it's just me and my dad now."  
"Oh." Ari's eyes widened. "I'm so sorry for your loss."  
"No-no-no It's not that my mom is dead or anything..." Megan trailed off. "She and my dad are divorced."  
"Oof." Rachel frowned. "I take it that it wasn't the best divorce?"  
"I'm not answering that to a stranger." She glared at Rachel, who backed off.  
"Fair enough." She raised her hands in defence, then noticed Ari was on her phone. "What are you doing?"  
"Texting my brother." Ari curled her lip. "Lucky jerk gets a free trip to Sycorax today! And he KNOWS that I can't go so he's rubbing it in with his stupid smug face and… UHG!" She groaned. "He is SO dead when I get home."  
Rachel exchanged a weird look with Hank. "Someone sounds jealous."  
"You don't say..."

* * *

_Meanwhile with Hiro!_

He had entered the Robotics lab, only to find Professor Granville was speaking to the students. "Um..."  
"Pssst. Hiro." Sara whispered, gesturing for him to come over. David was next to her, listening to the dean.

"What's going on?" He walked up to them.

"Granville is taking some students with her on a trip to Sycorax." David told him. "Since they donated to our Biotech building and some of our students are interning there now."  
"It's gonna be weird not seeing Mika as much." Sara hummed. "But she really wants to do some good on her new job."  
"Good for her." Hiro winced at the mention of Mikan, he didn't _hate_ her after last semester, but it was awkward. "Uh, I kind of hope I go. I haven't been to Sycorax except from what Ari told me."

"Even though the little-I mean Karmi will be there?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Don't remind me..." He didn't want to have to think of her _stupid_ smirking face!

David snickered with amusement.

In the end, Hiro, his friends, and a handful of other students were chosen to go on the trip. However Fred couldn't go because he wasn't a student, and he had to leave Baymax with Fred, which sucked.

As everyone was piled on the bus, he was sitting next to Sara as everyone chattered in excitement.

"I can't wait to see Sycorax!" He heard Honey Lemon exclaim.

"Me too!" He heard another student exclaim.

Gogo just rolled her eyes. "Eh, I'm not expecting much."  
"I'm expecting a lot." Wasabi grinned.  
"I just hope it's got better employee policies than Krei-Tech." David frowned. "Otherwise I'm having a talk with Liv."  
"Same!" Sara called out, then turned to him. "What about you Hiro?"  
"Hm?" He was thinking about something.

"What do you think?"  
"Oh uh." He frowned. "I was thinking about my brother, he was excited about the idea of us going on class trips together."

"Ah." Sara nodded with understanding. "He'd probably either make sure nothing bad happens to you during the trip or else, or question everything."  
"Yeah he would." Hiro snickered. "He'd have to drag me away from everything because I'd be so invested with everything!"  
Sara giggled at the thought. "I think he'd have fun, I wish he could see it himself."  
"Me too." Hiro took her hand. "Are you gonna be okay with Mikan?"  
"What?" She raised an eyebrow. "She's my sister, why wouldn't I be?"  
"Remember last semester?"  
"Oh." Sara frowned. "I don't blame her for being tricked by her dad, but I'm upset that she didn't question him, did she really trust him more than me? And the whole thing David and his mom... Mika didn't want him to tell me I just..." She sighed. "Maybe it's because I can't relate to them, my mom was horrible, but she wasn't a supervillain."

_Ouch._ Hiro winced in sympathy. _Maybe I should join the others on the 'ignoring Mikan bandwagon'._ "Just because you didn't have their problem doesn't mean you can't be there for them."  
"Yeah." She sighed. "But I do know what it's like to be in a dark place right now."

Hiro watched as she traced the cut scars on her wrists and arm. "Sara?"

"I'm really scared Mika's gonna spiral like I did and she'll try to..." Sara shuddered, her fingers nervously scratching at her scarred wrists. "She'll… try to-"  
"Hey-hey-hey." Hiro held up his hands in comfort. "Everyone might be mad at her, but none of us would let her go that path." While he and his friends were still mad, they also were worried about Mikan's mental health, despite what happened, she still was their friend. "Maybe you should tell your parents if this is eating you up so much."  
"I don't know." She sighed. "I don't want to worry them."  
"Sara…"

"Fine!" Sara huffed. "I will, but on one condition."  
 _Can't be that bad._ "Okay."  
"You have to be nice to Karmi for our entire trip to Sycorax."  
"I hate you right now."  
"Love you too!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week we'll get to episode territory but here's the build up
> 
> And also Megan! I love Megan, she gets to appear early and she is AWESOME!
> 
> At this point in time the Nerd Gang are still unsure about forgiving Mikan as she did do some bad things last season, eventually they will but for a little bit they'll give her some time. Dw none of them would be jerks, Sara is just being Concerned about her sister.
> 
> QOTW: Favorite student from Bridgeton?
> 
> Anyways prepare! hehehehe :3c


	3. Chapter 2: (Internabout) Sycorax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Hiro's jealousy boils, plots both bad and good occur

The building of Sycorax was metallic, green, and full of life as they entered. Employees were friendly as they greeted the touring students.

The trip had been split into two groups, and the gang was all there in Granville's.

"Wow." Honey Lemon looked around in the main lobby. "Sycorax is even more amazing than I imagined."  
"And even cleaner than I imagined." Wasabi stared at his reflection on the floor. "And I imagined immaculate."  
"Well they gotta keep the place clean." Sara hummed.

"It's fine." Gogo stared at her reflection, she didn't appear to be impressed.  
"Same." David nodded in agreement.

"Settle down students." Granville turned to the group. "Liv Amara pledged a fortune to the school. I expect best behavior."  
As she said this, a security guard came in, with Hiro being dropped into the group.

"Ah. I know it said 'no photos' but… I didn't know it meant 'no photos.'" He weakly defended.

"Hmm." The dean raised an eyebrow. "I trust you will all be supportive of Karmi and her new internship."

"And Mika's..." David weakly added, the group gave slow nods.

"It's an internship, it-it's not a big deal." Hiro protested.

"You're right." Gogo pointed out. "It's a huge deal."

"Hiro." Honey Lemon walked up to him. "Are you feeling competitive with Karmi again?"

"What?" Curse his bad lying skills. He wasn't _jealous_ or anything... But he was starting to feel like he was inferior. _Maybe I am jealous but I'm not letting the others know that._ "No I uh-"  
"Grace!" The voice of Liv interrupted him. "Sorry to keep you waiting." She walked up to Granville. "I was stuck at a holo-conference. You know how tedious those are."

"It's quite alright Liv." Granville replied.  
"Then let's get this tour started!" Liv beamed, she then gestured to the man next to her, "This is my assistant, Chris."  
He was a handsome blonde with tanned skin and green eyes, wearing a green polo shirt. "Oh! Do the joke! Do the joke with my name."  
"My Chris-sistant."  
He and a few of the group chuckled. "She makes me laugh."  
"We can tell." Sara giggled.  
"Anyhoo." He started distributing name tags to each tour member. "Your name tags have been individually programmed to display your age, height, interests…"  
"And names?" Wasabi raised an eyebrow.  
"Of course, _Roger_." Chris winked at him as he handed Wasabi his name tag.

"He knows my name!" Wasabi squealed, clutching his name tag.

"Huh, Granville must've had them use our real names for the name tags." Gogo looked at hers, which had her birth name instead of her nickname. "Haven't heard someone call you by your real name in awhile."  
"Yeah it was weird." Wasabi noted. "But cool!"  
Hiro found himself rolling his eyes along with Sara, who was shooting glares at Chris for some reason. _Don't tell me she's jealous too..._

The tour continued as Liv narrated. "I don't see Sycorax as just another biotech company. Mother nature is an artist, and I see myself as her protege. Studying and even improving on her work."  
"Inspiring." Granville commented as she looked around the lobby.

Liv walked up to one of the desks. "I favor a holistic approach to the work-life balance."

"Ooh that's cool." David beamed. "It's a great philosophy to have."  
"Thank you." The CEO smiled. "In fact, right now, you're walking on biometric scanners which are linked to your name tags."  
"So that's how they have information on us." Sara whispered to Hiro. "Must be great security too."  
"You don't say?" He whispered back.

Liv demonstrated by gesturing to the floor, which lit up in a yellow circle. "Watch." She clicked her name tag.

" _Liv Amara. Your readings are normal and healthy._ " The name tag read. " _Have a great day._ "  
Hiro looked to his name tag and frowned. _Why did Karmi have to get an internship at such an innovative company?_

The woman then gestured to the green tinted drones floating around. "You'll also notice these little guys flying by." A drone hovered to them and Chris opened it. "Employee lunches are made fresh. And delivered right to their desks."

"I sourced the ingredients myself." Chris whispered to Wasabi.  
"Ooh!"

Just as they were about to continue the tour, an employee walked up to Liv. She had short black hair with a white streak going down in the middle, making it look like a skunk. "Pardon to interrupt you Ms. Amara." _She sounds familiar..._ "But Nicole had found another leak in the pipes and wanted me to tell you."  
"Hm." Liv frowned. "Another one?"  
"Yeah." The woman clenched her teeth. "You might just want to replace the pipes if this keeps happening." Then she turned to the group, and Hiro already recognized her by the sharp green eyes. "Hey gang."

Silence...

"Hey Mika!" David was the first to greet her. "How is it at your internship so far?"  
"Oh uh..." Mikan blushed. "It's not really an internship, more like a _job_..." Then she turned to Liv. "No offense ma'am."  
"None taken."  
"Did you get a haircut?" Hiro asked her.

"Oh?" A hand went to her black hair. "Yeah, I decided to dye my hair back to it's natural roots, and give it a cut. Y'know, new semester, new me."  
"And her skunk-stripe is back." Sara dryly commented.  
"Hey!" Mikan blushed. "So, you guys having fun on your tour?"  
More silence…  
"Yeah, that's fair." She flinched, then turned to Granville. "You enjoy the rest of your tour, we at Sycorax make sure our visitors have the best time!"

"Thank you, Ms. Ferns."  
Mikan chuckled, and went back to work.

* * *

Liv then continued with the tour. "Of course, we're proudest of our state-of-the-art gen-tech lab." She opened the door, and the group awed at the large and fancy lab.

Hiro walked into the lab in awe. "Th-this must belong to someone doing really important work."

"It does." He turned around to see-

"Maybe not that important." He glared at Karmi. _Did she have to rub it in?_

"Karmi, this is your lab?" Granville asked her, even the dean herself was impressed with the workspace.  
"Oh, just temporarily." Karmi replied. "My real lab is being modified to my specs."

Hiro felt like shooting another snarky comment, but stopped when seeing how... _happy_ Karmi was. It was rare for him to see Karmi in a good mood, mostly because they were always bickering, but he didn't want to wipe the smile on her face. "Good for you." He muttered.  
"Uh, thanks." Karmi flashed him a small smile.

"We treat our interns well." Liv placed a hand on Karmi's shoulder, smiling. "Now let's keep this tour moving."  
"Enjoy the rest of the tour."

Hiro then flashed Karmi a small smile. "Thanks, Ari says 'hi' by the way." _She's probably gonna kill me after I told her I visited Sycorax today._

"Oh, glad she's doing alright."

"Bye." As he was about to catch up with the tour, Chris was in front of him.

"Ceviche?" He offered a bowl.

Behind him, Wasabi and Sara flashed thumbs up.

"Eh, why not."

* * *

Ferns and Nerds group chat:

Hiro Hamada: Fred we're on our way back from Sycorax, how are you and Baymax?

Fredzilla: Baymax and I are playing ping-pong

TheLittleMermaid: HIRO I AM GOING TO MURDER YOU WHEN I GET HOME

Hiro Hamada: GET BACK TO CLASS

TheLittleMermaid: I'M DONE ALL MY CLASSES

David Ferns: How were classes?

TheLittleMermaid: Not as hard as I thought. Rachel and a few other students helped me catch up, I'm already "popular"

Sienna Kline: What school are you going to?

Rachel Rosemary: Same school as me; Bridgeton

Sienna Kline: Oooh I used to go to Bridgeton, they had the best 'muses' there!

TheLittleMermaid: Cool! Maybe some of my classmates used to know you?

Sienna Kline: It's been 2 years since I graduated, maybe.

Sara Ferns: Tfw Ari is going to a better high school and you didn't.

Hiro Hamada: ^

Fredzilla: ^

David Ferns: ^

TheLittleMermaid: Now I feel bad : (, sorry guys for rubbing it in.

Hiro Hamada: Ari omg no

* * *

On the outskirts of the city, in an abandoned warehouse. Two robots were inside.

The small robot, pried open the crate his 'sister' was in. " _Howdy and hello, T-Trina!_ " NBB whirred.

"Hey, Noodle." Trina greeted back, she was curled up in the crate, her head still severed. "Come on, help me put myself back together." Her body exited the crate, but without her head to see where she was moving, her body stumbled around.

" _Can't complete that order now, big sis!_ " NBB told her. " _I-I-I have to go home._ " He stammered.

Trina winced as a shrimp skittered from him and on top of her head. "What are you talking about?" She asked NBB.

" _Home._ " He titled his head.  
"Home is gone, father's gone." Trina stated. "And Mikan _betrayed_ us so she could play 'family' with a bunch of softhearted pushovers!" While stuck in the crate, all she could think about was how her big sister had betrayed their father. It fueled her metal heart with anger, she would get revenge on her and her "family" when she could.  
" _Not daddy or big sis' Mika's homes_." NBB giggled, lifting Trina's head out of the crate and placing it on a table. " _My real home!_ _See ya around, later style!_ " And he bounced out of the warehouse.  
"Wait! I need my body!" Trina called after him. She tried placing her head on her body, but she ended up falling on the table again. Trina groaned, revenge was a slow and painful journey.

* * *

When the gang had gotten back to the Robotics labs, Fred was of course chillin' with Baymax. He swiveled up to them from his chair as they entered.

" _Hello._ " Baymax waved.  
"Was Sycorax the coolest?" He questioned.  
"It was incredible!" Honey Lemon answered.  
"It was awesome." Sara hummed.  
Wasabi chuckled. "Chris-sistant."

"It wasn't so great." Hiro stated, sitting on the ping-pong table.  
"Uh, did you see his smile?"  
"It wasn't that great..." Sara pointed out.

"It was perfect!"

"Wait a minute." Fred sniffed the air, he swiveled to Hiro. "Do I smell locally-sourced ceviche?"  
"Yes." Hiro grumbled.  
"Hiro's got Karmi issues." Honey Lemon explained.  
"Again." Gogo added.

He sat up. "She got an internship, woo-hoo, when's the parade?"  
" _Tuesday._ " Baymax gestured to his screen, where an invitation played. " _We have all just received invitations._ "

Everyone's phones chimed. "Yes!" Fred exclaimed, but noted Hiro's phone didn't chime. "Hard maybe."

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

"Huh." Ari looked at her phone.  
Rachel, who was chatting to another student on the bus-(the scruffy brunette persuaded her to take the bus home today) turned to her. "What's the 'huh' for?"  
"I just got an invitation to a party. From my antisocial buddy Karmi." She told her.

"What does it say?"  
"It says 'dear Ari, you have been invited my party that Mikan is hosting to celebrate me getting an internship, no she did not do it without my permission I just wanted a party, P.S bring your brother.'" Ari squinted at her phone. "She could just send Hiro an invite herself."  
"Maybe she's a tsundere." Rachel snickered.  
"Rach no, oh my gosh _no_ -"

* * *

"Uhhg!" Hiro groaned. "I need an internship."  
"No ones gonna hire you if you're just in it to be competitive." Gogo pointed out.

"Yeah." Honey Lemon added. "It's kind of shallow."  
But Hiro didn't listen to his friend's words of wisdom. "Competitive, shallow… yeah!" He then walked over to Sara, who was starting a study session with David. "Can I borrow your phone?"

* * *

_Five minutes later…_

"You want me to WHAT?!"

" _Provide a good word for me to your boss so I can get an internship at Krei-Tech._ " Turns out Hiro decided to call Sara's uncle Steven, since the mechanic was an experienced worker he'd be able to get an internship much smoother.  
"There are plenty of other companies to get internships from." Steven pointed out. "No offense to my boss but there's a reason he has an assistant." _Because if it was just him we'd be burned to the ground._

" _C'mon Mr. Ferns, I need an internship!_ " Hiro pleaded. " _Karmi's already got one, Mikan's got one, I need to catch up!_ "  
Steven squinted at the phone. "Is that why you're getting an internship."  
" _Nooo…?_ " Hiro trailed off. " _But I'd still like one!_ "  
"I'll arrange a meeting with Krei for you."  
" _Yes! Thanks Mr. Ferns!_ "  
"You're welcome." Steven ended the call. _Oh boy, when will that kid stop making dumb ideas._

He then got an idea, a bit of a mischievous idea, but one that has a good life-lesson.

First, he had to talk to Krei.

* * *

"So you want me to take Hiro on as an intern and push him until he realizes it's a bad idea?"  
"Yep." Steven had just explained the plan to his boss. "He's been jealous ever since two of his classmates got internships at Sycorax-"  
"Wait, _Liv_ has interns?" Krei scrunched his nose in irritation. "Well I'm definitely on board with this plan of yours Steven, I need an intern." Judy raised an eyebrow at the CEO. "What?"  
"You better not try to treat him like your previous interns, remember why they sued?" Steven pointed out. "Just give him some of Judy's errands for a bit, I can try and persuade him to stay at Krei-Tech when he learns his lesson. Sides, if you try to bind him by contract that's technically illegal since Hiro's a minor and-"  
"Okay, okay I get it!" Krei raised a hand in defense. "I'm going to pretend this conversation never happened for now."  
"Thanks for helping me with this sir." Steven bowed his head down. "Hiro is a good kid, always busy for some reason but hardworking. I think an internship will be good for him…"

"I hope for both our sakes, you're right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we've hit canon episode turf!
> 
> Ahhhh Sycorax, you have suuuuch great security. Oh look Mikan! (And Chris. he he he)
> 
> Yeah so far the gang have given her silent treatment, they're not outright hostile but just... don't wanna talk to her for now. Anyways I'm definetly going to change up how the whole internship thing happens as when I was looking at the wiki for this ep, one of the errors was that it'd be illegal for Krei to keep Hiro at Krei-Tech by legally binding contract because as like Steven says, he's a minor.
> 
> Oh yeah also Trina and NBB... glitchy NBB... I never wanna do that again in my life
> 
> QOTW: Which is better, Krei-Tech or Sycorax?

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back to Heroes of Flowers-AAAAA IT'S THE MONSTER ARC
> 
> Phase 2 has arrived! I am SO prepared to crush my readers will feels- I mean explore more of the story! A lot happens in this arc, as it was SUPER fun to play with.
> 
> Tempest of Hearts just covers the COM arc, but there's plenty of og chapters to fill it out so it'll be just as long as Ferns and Nerds.
> 
> I started it off with a prologue not only to foreshadow "Liv's" true colors, but also to flesh out the Rosemarys, they have some roles in this arc and I wanted to show it!
> 
> Since we're back, time for Question of the Week!  
> QOTW: What are you anticipating for this arc? Send me your theories in the comments!
> 
> Have a great week guys, and remember to look out for monsters under the bed, hehehehe!


End file.
